Index reference-file.



F. E. RICHARDSON.

Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

j/VVEWTU Z 7Y6. ji m) ATTORNEY WITNESSES Patented Mar. 23, 1909. 2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

F. E. RICHARDSON. INDEX REFERENCE FILE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1907.

m VE'NTUIK M HTTU NEY support.

FRANK E. RIQEARDSQN, 91* G=A ZENOVIA,--NEW YORK.

' TRIBE? RTEFEEENilfi-iffi Specification of Letters lPatent.

Patented mien 2a, 1900.

Application am June '4, 1907. serial No. 377,1.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. RICHARD- soN, of Oazenovia, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Index Reference-Files, of which the following, taken in connection with the accom anyingdrawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in index reference files involving the use of loose leaf binders adapted for the reception and retention of account slips, bills, checks and other data which it'may bodesired to preserve for referencefor limited periods of time, and which may be systematized under. alphabetical or other suitable indexes or headings in such manner that any particular account or name may be instantly referred to with the binders in either position; that is, either thrown forwardly or normal.

My main object is to rovide a folding reference file or loose leaf hinder consisting of a pluralit of separately swinging shelves, and a plura ity of separately folding back ieces or,plates each carrying a series of f0 dable leaves for the reception and temporary retention of loose leaves, such as bills, statements, accounts, checks, or other reference matter.

Another object is to associate these several shelves in such manner that when they" are tilted from their normal position the several series of leaves will be auto atically reversed by their own gravity, an when tilted in the o posite direction, such leaves will be return to their normal position.

A still further ob ect is to make each leaf a separate loose leaf inder having an index on one side and a loose-leaf retainer on the oppositeside holding the leaves in such position that the name or other character thereon may be made to appear when the leaves are fol ed one u n the other, thereby affording a double in ex for each loose-leaf binder o'r Another-object is to e the back pieces to their corresponding she was by hinge pins which may be removed to permit the movalof the back pieces, when desired, and furthermore, to provide these back-pieces with suitable spring catches on their free ends ada ted to interlock with the vshelf'to hold the ackiece in its normal position so that it ma be lded in the reverse direction with the s elf. I

- Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

separately foldable leaves 5'-.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a ers ective view of my improved reference file s the parts in their normal or closed position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device seen in Fig. 1, showing the to or cover and one 'of the baekieces as unf dl'de'd or thrown back against the back-rest. Fig, 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing one of the shelves and cover-as unfolded or "thrown back, said shelf being shown in dotted lines aspartially returned to its normal position to show its ac tion upon the leaves of the underlying shelf in returning said leaves to their norma position. Fi 4 is a perspective view of one of the detac 'ed backjpieces showing one of the end leaves as unfol ed, and the opposite end leaf as folded against the back-piece. Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are enlarged detail sectional views t7aken Frespectively on lines 5'5, 6- 6, and

This device is preferably made up in bookform adapted to be folded in a comp'arativel smallspace and placed in asafe orother a'vai able place for preservation and safe keeping, and com rises essentially opposite covers '1-' an -*2'* and one or more intervening shelves 3'- each adapted to support a pluralityof back pieces 4- which are foldable separately from each other and from the shelf upon which they are mounted, these back-pieces each supporting a plurality of Each leaf -'5 and its adjuncts form what may be termed, a loose-leaf-binder, and has associated therewith, se arate sprin clasps-6 and 7-' at one si' e or face of are leaf, while the opposite side of each leaf is rovided near its free end with a space 8'' or a name or other index character with which the name or other character on the leaf corresponds.

The device shown in the drawings is ar ticularly useful in the preservation of s ort r accounts or bills which are made out upon slips of paper of uniform size, adapted to be placed an held between the spring clasp and leaf -5' with its lower edge held in place by the clasp "7. The leaves --5- of each back piece are removably secured thereto by separate fastening devices =9-=- which are passed through apertures --10- in the'baek piece '4 and through similar apertures in flexible flaps --11+-+ Wihich the leaves 5 are hinged to the has The spring clasps 6- of thaseveral .ieeves are substantiall identical-mid each preferably consists of a spring-wire loop havmg its ends brought over the top and passed through apertures 12- in the leaf in such manner as to exert a s ring tension of the wire loop against onesi e or face of said leaf,

- the-overturned 11 per end of the spring formtion thereof passed through an aperture 14- against t in the bottom of the leaf 5 and secured therein b turning over the ends of the tongue lie leaf, the tongue 7-- projectmg from the bottom toward the loop or clasp 6 and serving to retain the bottom-edge of the loose iheets or bills in place against the leaf 5.

It is now clear that the several leaves 5- of each back iec are detaehably secured to the latter and may be folded backward and forward thereon by means of the flexible hinge-connection 11 and that one side or face of each leaf is' provided with a pair of clasps 6 and 7, one holding and registering the tops of the loose sheets, and the otherholding the bottom edges of said sheets in place upon the leaf, said leaves being of substantially the same length and hinged one in advance of the other to the back-piece throughout practicall the entire length of said back-piece, the eaves nearest the free end of the back-piece being somewhat shorter than the remaining leaves so as not to extend beyond the free end of the back-piece when in their closed position, as when the covers are closed.

The-shelves -3 are nearly co-extensive with the area of the covers -1 and 2, the first shelf of the series nearest the cover 1.being hinged thereto at one end by a ivotal pin 15 while the remaining shelf is in ed to the hinged end of the first named she by a pin 16- and is provided with a right angle offset .17-' of suflicient height to support one end of said shelf in a plane above the free ends of the leaves'.5 when folded to their normal position so as not to press too heavily upon said leaves which might strain their hin e connections with the underlying shelf. In 'ke' manner, the cover 2 is hinged by a in 18 to the hinged end of the second she 3- at the junction of the offset ''17 therewith and is itself provided with an offset 19-, which when the shelves arefolded to their closed position lies in substantially the same plane as the offset 17 and corresponding end of the Y shelf 3.

An angular stop or abutment 20 is provided with a substantially right-angle offset 21 which is, hinged at .22 to.

the'rear' end of the bottom cover 1- a vice is closed, and when unfolded its offset 21 lies in a nearly horizontal position while its remaining portion stands nearly in a vertical position, and is of nearl but slightly less length than the cover so t at when unfolded, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 it forms an abutment against which the cover 2 rests, the cover serving a similar purpose for the leaves of the second shelf, while the second shelf itself performs a similar function for the leaves of the first shelf.

The back pieces --4 are hinged by removable pivotal pins 25 to their respective shelves a short distance in front (if the hinge pins of said shelves, and are, therefore, separately pivoted or hinged and are held at their free ends flatwise against the top faces of the shelves by spring catches 26- so that by throwing the catch 26- from its holding position by hand, such back-piece may be rocked upwardly and rearwardly upon its own pivotal pin 25 independently of the shelf to which it is attached, or it may be removed entirely from the shelf by simply withdrawing the pivotal pin 25-, the outer ends of said pins being provided with suitable hand-pieces for this purpose.

It is now clear that this device comprises essentially a series of separable foldable shelves, each shelf bearing aplurality-of sepa rately movable hinged back-pieces and t at each back piece carries a series of detachable folding loose leaf binders having spring clasps on one face and indexes on the opposite face so that when the leaves are folded in one di.

rection, or forwardly flat down upon the back piece, their ends are exposed one beyond the other progressively from front to rear there' by ex osing the indexes of each leaf, while on the ot er hand, when these leaves are folded rearwardly, the rear leaf abuts against the superposed shelf 3 or top -2-, thereby supporti all of the leaves on an inclined plane wit their u per faces projecting and visible, one beyon the other from front to rear so that the accountant may readil locate any particular debtor s account, whic is'written upon the top of the sheet where exposed, thus producing a loose leaf binder with double indexes on reverse faces, which indexes are alwa s visible when the leaves are folded either fbrwardly or rearwardly.

The distance between the hinges of the rear leaves of each shelf, and the upright rtion of the next adjacent shelf, when unfo ded "is less than thelength of the leaves, which causes said leaves to be held in an inclined to their normal positions by the mere act of closing the cover -2' forwardly and downwardly. The object in making the back-pieces 4- separate and removable from'their respective shelves is to avoid carrying the whole apparatus from place to place when I onlya part of the binders are needed for v to the shelf, and a pluralit of leaves hin ed" reference in some place remote from the repository for such apparatus, and this removal of the back-pieces may be effected by simply withdrawing their pivotal pins25.-

It will be seen from the foregoing description that this device com rises a series of tiers of foldable loose leaf inders arranged side by side, and also one above/the other, and that each tier is supported u on a separate removablebacklece'capab e of'being attached to or detac ed from one of the shelves, and although, in this instance, I have showna series of four tiers or rows of such loose-leaf binders, I m increase or diminish this number indefinitely without departin from the spirit of this invention.

What claim is: 1. In areference file, a shelf, a back-piece hinged to the shelf, and a plurality of leaves hingedto the back-piece one in advance of the other, and each provided with a clasp forreceiving and retaining loose sheets.

2. In a reference file a support, a shelf hinged to the support, a back-piece hinged to the back-piece and eac rovided wit av clasp for receiving and retaimng loose leaves. 3. In a reference file, the combination with coyersand an iiitei'posed shelf hi ed; to one of the covers, a back-piece hingd d to the shelf, and a series of folding-leaves hinged I other, one of ear to the-back-piece, one in advance of the other and each provided with a clasp for retaining loose leaves.-

4., In a reference file, the combination with opposed covers and interposed shelves hingeid to each other, one of said shelves bes nged to one of the covers, backieces hinged to said shelves, and folding eaves mounted on the back-piecesv and each pro; vided with a clasp for retaining loose leaves. t?

5. In a reference file, a pair of opposite covers and inte osed shelves hinged to each of the covers, separate back-pieces each bin ed to one of the shelves, movable means for ocking each back-piece to its shelf, and e a series of lea'ves hinged to each back-piece, each leaf bein provided with a spring clasp for retaining oose sheets.

6. In a reference file, a pair of opposite covers and interposed shelves hinged to eachother, one of the shelves being hinged to one of the covers and one of the other shelves being hinged to the 'other cover, an angular back-rest hinged to one of-the covers and adapted to form a rest for the other cover 'when unfolded, and loose leaf binders mo'unted upon said shelves and rovided with clasps for retaining the loose eaves.

7. In a reference file, a pair of oppositely folding covers and interposed shelves hinged to each other and to said covers, a foldin back-rest hinged to one cover and dispose when unfolded in the path of the movement of the other cover to limit its swinging movement, back-pieces hinged to said shelves, s ring catches for hol ing the back-pieces atwlse against their respective shelves, and folding loose leaf binders hinged to the back pieces one in advance of the other. 4

in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of May- 1907.

FRANK E. RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

I H. J. ROUSE,

L. J. BUnnoUeHs,

shelves being hinged to one 

